Tour: 15th and Early 16th-Century GermanyOverview

The changes experienced in the fifteenth and early
sixteenth centuries were nowhere more strongly felt than in German-speaking
lands. There the revolutions of printing and the Protestant Reformation
were first unleashed. And it was a German artist,
Albrecht Dürer,
who introduced the art of Renaissance Italy to northern Europe. As France,
England, and Spain coalesced around strong dynasties into powerful nations,
Germany remained a political mosaic of small, independent states under the
aegis of the Holy Roman Emperor. Yet it sustained a strong sense of national
identity, and this was reflected in the distinctive character of German art.

At the beginning of the fifteenth century, German
artists, like those all across Europe, created delicate courtly art in what
is now known as the International Style. This was marked by long graceful
figures, richly patterned surfaces, gold decoration, and a preference for
abstract ornamentation over realism. By about 1450, influenced by painting
in the Netherlands, German artists adopted a more naturalistic style. In
general, however, their work remained more expressive than their neighbor's.
German painters tended to emphasize line and pattern over three-dimensional
form. They juxtaposed strong contrasts of color and continued to use gold
backgrounds long after they became old fashioned elsewhere. German
altarpieces often included painted and gilded sculpture, increasing the
theatricality of the sacred scenes. All these qualities pitched art to a
high emotional key, one well suited to the German religious experience,
which had been heavily influenced by the mysticism of such preachers as
Meister Eckehart beginning in the 1300s.

The Reformation and the Graphic Arts

In 1517 Martin Luther launched the Protestant revolt when he
posted his Ninety-five Theses complaining of greed and corruption in the
church. Long before, German mysticism and other changes in late medieval
piety had begun to "democratize" religion. An emphasis on direct, emotional
experience of God shifted spiritual focus -- and authority -- to private
devotion. In addition, political realignments had increased the power of
secular rulers at the expense of the church, and growing nationalism made
prosperous northern cities increasingly reluctant to share their wealth
with Rome.

The Reformation swept through Germany and into the Low Countries
in the 1520s. Its success was aided by religious propaganda broadcast
through the new media of printed books and graphic arts. Perhaps because so
many German artists had emphasized line over form, they were particularly
attracted to woodblocks and engraving. The wide availability of prints,
especially those by Albrecht Dürer, also helped to spread the style and
theory of Italian Renaissance art, leading northern painters to model their
figures with greater three-dimensionality. In areas affected by the
Reformation, artists turned more frequently to secular subjects, especially
portraiture, and in religious works they focused on the life of Christ,
paying less attention to the saints whose role as intermediaries for
mankind was denied by Protestant theologians.